It was just one game, but Texas A&M head baseball coach Rob Childress had to be happy to throw aside last year's bugaboo.
The Aggies struggled with men on base last season, but that wasn't a problem in the 2010 opener against Seton Hall on Friday as the Aggies won 11-2 in front of 5,284 at Olsen Field.
The Aggies scored their last nine runs with two outs, going 5 for 10 with runners in scoring position and two outs.
Leadoff hitter Scott Arthur scored a career-high four runs, and No. 2 hitter Brodie Greene had a career-high four RBIs, two coming in A&M's five-run eighth that put the game away. Three-hole hitter Andrew Collazo went 2 for 5 with two RBIs.
"[Assistant coach Matt Deggs] has those three guys at the top of the order that can create havoc. That was his decision, and it was a great decision," Childress said. "It was fun to watch those three."
Down 1-0, Greene tied the game with an RBI single in the third. Adam Smith later scored on a double play, then Joe Patterson drove in Arthur to give A&M a 3-1 lead.
"I was pretty amped up my first at-bat and took strike 3 looking," Greene said. "I was pretty upset but overcame it and got some big hits for us."
Greene's single off the shortstop's glove scored Arthur in the fifth after Arthur had fisted a double down the left-field line. That gave A&M a 4-2 lead.
Arthur and Greene then scored in the seventh on a bloop double by Collazo. Greene alertly rounded third and ran home when Seton Hall right fielder Will Walsh hesitated with the ball.
"Brodie can hit and do everything," Arthur said. "It's a great setup right now, and hopefully it will help us out."
The Aggies got some help in the eighth with two errors, but still made the most of their two hits. Eight of their 11 hits came with two outs.
The pitching was just as impressive for the Aggies with junior Barret Loux getting the start after surgery in the summer because of bone chips in his elbow. He went five innings in picking up the win, one he was glad to have after having to wait at least six games the last two seasons before getting a win.
Loux struck out eight and walked just one.
"The strike rate was pretty good, but like I said, five innings, [I've] got to do better than that," said Loux, who threw 92 pitches, 64 for strikes. "It felt pretty good to have that responsibility to take over after Brooks [Raley, last season's Friday night starter]."
Shane Minks pitched two strong innings and Estevan Uriegas followed with a 1-2-3 inning. With the big lead, freshman Jake Feckley finished the game.
"I felt that we got off to a very good start and Barret allowed us to do that," Childress said. "The two guys in the middle gave us a great opportunity to build on that lead, Minks and Este."
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NOTES -- The 5,284 fans was the fourth largest total for a season-opening game. ... Loux's eight strikeouts were the most for an Aggie on opening day since Zach Jackson had eight in 2004 against A&M-Corpus Christi.
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